History ComicBook / TheNightGwenStacyDied

[[caption-width-right:350:[[WhamEpisode Behold: The beginning of the end]] for [[UsefulNotes/TheSilverAgeOfComicBooks the Silver Age...]]]]

The year was 1973. For ten years, Spider-Man had been one of Marvel's most popular characters. The patterns of Peter Parker's life were pretty well established. He attended Empire State University, fought creeps like [[MadScientist Doc Ock]], [[ReptilesAreAbhorrent the Lizard]], [[HuntingTheMostDangerousGame Kraven the Hunter]], {{M|asterOfIllusion}}ysterio, and [[AxCrazy the Green Goblin]], made money by selling pictures of himself in action to the ''Daily Bugle'' and its cantankerous publisher J. Jonah Jameson, and was deeply in love with Gwen Stacy. For the most part, superheroics had been a game to Parker. The closest he'd personally come to dying was being pinned down under a ton of machinery in Doctor Octopus' lair during the "Master Planner" storyline, and he nearly always came out on top in the end. Tragedy had struck when Gwen's father (a retired police captain) died while he was fighting a battle, but that was written as a HeroicSacrifice after he was revealed to have [[DeathBySecretIdentity found out Peter's secret identity]] in 1970. It would be his secret identity being exposed again that would set into motion another series of tragic events. The [[ComicBook/NormanOsborn Green Goblin]] managed to stalk Spider-Man (whose Spider-Sense had been numbed) and discover that his greatest foe [[note]]although this is Gobby in the '60s we're talking about. ''Only'' foe works too[[/note]] was no older than 19 or 20. He successfully captured Parker and in his arrogance revealed his identity as ComicBook/NormanOsborn, the father of Peter's college classmate (and future roommate) Harry. Taking advantage of Osborn's [[BondVillainStupidity inability to shut up]], Spidey eventually broke free of his restraints and battled the Goblin. During the fight, an accident induced LaserGuidedAmnesia in Osborn, making him forget that he'd ever been the Green Goblin. Peter thought that he'd seen the last of the Goblin, until AmnesiacDissonance caught up with Osborn and he started remembering his former identity in short spurts. The second time this happened, it resulted in the also famous storyline ''The Goblin Returns,'' which challenged UsefulNotes/TheComicsCode Authority's guidelines on portraying [[DrugsAreBad drug use]].

The editors decided that the Goblin could not go unpunished for this, [[LaserGuidedKarma and so he died in the next issue]], [[HoistByHisOwnPetard impaled by his own glider]]. From this point onward, Spider-Man's world (along with the [[UsefulNotes/TheBronzeAgeOfComicBooks comic book industry in general]]) had become [[CerebusSyndrome considerably darker]], forever haunted by the uncertainty of what had actually killed Gwen. Had the Goblin already killed her, or had Peter Parker killed the woman he loved with his webline? [[note]]The initial answer to the question was yes, Peter had inadvertently killed Gwen himself by causing her neck to break via whiplash, hence the "snap" sound effect in initial printings. How much this is stuck to whenever the event is referenced in later comics [[DependingOnTheWriter depends on the writer]].[[/note]]

* EndOfAnAge: This story brought the end of UsefulNotes/TheSilverAgeOfComicBooks as we know it. See InnocenceLost below. In the overall sense of Spider-Man's story, this is often seen as marking the real end of the classic Spider-Man era and his original setting towards a more mature and adult world. The cover announcing "Turning Point" wasn't kidding around.

* InnocenceLost: For comics as a whole. This was the first instance of a main character's on-screen death since UsefulNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfComicBooks, and, depending on what comic scholars you ask, is often marked as either the definitive end of UsefulNotes/TheSilverAgeOfComicBooks and the start of UsefulNotes/TheBronzeAgeOfComicBooks, or the effective KnightOfCerebus that would herald the next 12 years of a much more mature and darker Silver Age that would ultimately culminate with the publications of ''ComicBook/{{Watchmen}}'' and ''ComicBook/CrisisOnInfiniteEarths''.

* WhamEpisode: A comic book hero never failed so spectacularly before. This storyline is considered one of the signs of the shift from the [[UsefulNotes/TheSilverAgeOfComicBooks Silver Age]] to the [[UsefulNotes/TheBronzeAgeOfComicBooks Bronze Age]]. The death of a main supporting character (excluding [[DeathByOriginStory those killed off at the beginning]]), let alone the {{love interest|s}}, was unheard of at the time.

The story was adapted into a NoBudget 1992 fan film called ''[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Green_Goblin%27s_Last_Stand The Green Goblin's Last Stand]]''. The film initially saw little attention, but became further recognized towards the turn of the century, peaking when the film's creator made a "making of" documentary on its production in 2002. Both the original film and documentary were well-received at small film festivals, even garnering some praise from Creator/StanLee. Years later, the 2022 fan film ''WebVideo/SpiderManLotus'' would adapt the story arc alongside an AdaptationDistillation of ''ComicBook/SpiderManBlue'' and ''The Kid Who Collects Spider-Man''.

* UnstoppableRage: The Goblin's response to the SkewedPriorities example above, where he calls Gwen "a simpering, pointless girl who never did more than occupy space" pushes Spidey into one.

-->-- '''Franchise/SpiderMan'''

* DaylightHorror: Despite the title, Green Goblin kills Gwen on a bright blue morning with clear skies and in public view.

-->-- '''Spider-Man'''

An iconic storyline in Creator/MarvelComics' ''[[ComicBook/SpiderMan The Amazing Spider-Man]]'' series, spanning issues #121-122 (June-July, 1973). It was written by Creator/GerryConway, penciled by Gil Kane, and inked by John Romita & Tony Mortellaro. The two issues have two separate titles: ''The Night Gwen Stacy Died'', (#121) and ''The Green Goblin's Last Stand'' (#122) but it's known by the title of the first issue, which is famous for killing off Spider-Man's girlfriend ComicBook/GwenStacy.

* NoHoldsBarredBeatdown: Spider-Man gives one to the Goblin.

* InnocenceLost: For comics as a whole. This was the first instance of a main character's on-screen death since UsefulNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfComicBooks, and is often marked as either the definitive end of UsefulNotes/TheSilverAgeOfComicBooks and the start of UsefulNotes/TheBronzeAgeOfComicBooks, or the effective KnightOfCerebus that would herald the next 12 years of a much more mature and darker Silver Age that would ultimately culminate with the publications of ''ComicBook/{{Watchmen}}'' and ''ComicBook/CrisisOnInfiniteEarths''.

* UnbuiltTrope: This story is often cited as one of the earliest and most famous instances of StuffedIntoTheFridge, predating the {{Trope Namer|s}} by 21 years. It embodies many of the misogynistic hallmarks of the trope: Gwen has no agency of her own, barely has any lines before she dies, her plotline gets completely unresolved, she's not even the most important female character of the titular story (that's Mary Jane), it was done by [[ComicBook/NormanOsborn Green Goblin]] to spite Franchise/SpiderMan, and Spidey even refers to her as "my woman" even after she dies. However, unlike the many, ''many'' derided examples it inspired, this one in particular stands out positively and is seen as a good story even now for two primary reasons. The first is that Gwen's death has meaningful consequences for Spider-Man, both the mythos and the character, becoming a ShockingDefeatLegacy that inspired Spidey to be a better hero. Gwen herself is treated as TheLostLenore and ''not'' a DisposableLoveInterest, as it took years for Spidey to fully accept her death, and even after Mary Jane became his SecondLove, he will always mourn Gwen with the utmost respect, compared to the usual example of a fridged character being mostly forgotten and replaced. There's a very, ''very'' good reason why the story named ILetGwenStacyDie, instead of the incident being known as "Dropped From a Bridge".

[[quoteright:350:[[ComicBook/SpiderMan https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/3678977956_0f4ea7c4b7_b.jpg]]]]